County Championship: Yorkshire pair make Gloucestershire suffer

Adam Lyth continued his Scarborough love affair with a fourth County Championship hundred on his home ground as he and opening partner Finlay Bean shared 307 to ensure Yorkshire dominated day one against Gloucestershire.

The 36-year-old former England opener also scored his fourth hundred of the season as Yorkshire closed on 348-3 from 96 overs.

Lyth walked off with 129 from 243 balls to his name, while Bean actually bettered him with 164 off 250, with six leg-side sixes included.

Gloucestershire’s decision to bowl first upon winning the toss will surely be questioned.

Their captain, Graeme van Buuren, who made that call, struck late in the day alongside Ajeet Singh Dale and Beau Webster – new-ball sseamer Dom Goodman was the pick of their bowlers with 0-29 from 17 overs.

Gloucestershire created very few chances during a morning session which concluded with Yorkshire at 106 without loss.

Lyth was on 64, while both himself and Bean had swept sixes off Ed Middleton’s leg-spin.

They were not really threatened throughout the afternoon and into the evening – the two openers bettering the 180 they shared in the second innings of the second round draw at Bristol in mid-April.

Lyth was first to his century – off 179 balls – when he drove Middleton for four to take the score to 206 without loss in the 59th over.

When Bean reached his century Yorkshire had 216 on the board, with all of the batter’s half-a-dozen sixes coming over mid-wicket or long-on against spin.

Lyth offered a tough low catch to a diving Cameron Bancroft in the gully off fellow Australian Webster, though neither opener saw the day out.

Bean was caught at point off Van Buuren’s left-arm spin at 307-1 in the 81st over.

It was Yorkshire’s first triple-century opening partnership for 10 years.

Lyth was then bowled by Singh Dale with a further 15 added to the total before Webster had James Wharton caught behind on 342-3.